In Which I Attempt to Sew

Card Holder. Amaranth Road Studio. 2011

I have a Pfaff sewing machine that I'm pretty sure came from a Nazi-era German sweatshop. The thing is a tank. It weighs a ton. It is not pretty. And I'm pretty sure it rivals cockroaches for its ability to just keep on going. I bought it from a friend who found it at a garage sale and never used it. I think I paid $50. And I've been meaning to learn to sew ever since. 

Back when I first got it I made a knitting needle holder and a pair of fur pants. And those, my friends, are the only two things I've ever sewn...until now. (And if you must know I made the fur pants as part of a Satyr Halloween costume. They stayed up through use of long shoelaces and I got fur everywhere--long story). After the fur pants the machine went back into its ancient suitcase and stayed there until just a few weeks ago when I set the machine up in a place of honour on my craft desk, figuring that if it was out and ready to sew I might actually make something. 

And I DID make something! I got this book out of the library called Cute Stuff by Aranzi Aronzo which, true to its name, is full of sickeningly adorable small sewing projects. It seemed simple enough, with clear patterns and instructions. The projects were useful (tote bags, zippered pouches, hair accessories, and easy appliques) yet wouldn't involve a large time or materials investment. I chose to make a felt business card holder because I had a pile of wool felt on hand.

I carefully cut out the pattern using tracing paper, carefully traced this onto the felt, and carefully cut out all the felt pieces. Then it took me about 20 minutes to wind a bobbin and get my machine up and running, but I did it without mishap. The instructions from my ancient sewing machine manual are actually quite good. And then I started sewing the pieces together and was all proud of myself until I held up the finished project and realized it looked like an 8 year old had made it. And not a very skilled 8 year old at that. The images you are looking at are not of that original attempt. Let's just say that the original attempt ended up in my garbage can covered in potato peelings. It was sent on its way with a few choice swear words, a short lament over the loss of a beautiful piece of 100% wool felt, and determination to try again.

So I cut out new pieces, and this time actually tacked them together with pins (on the advise of a friend who actually knows how to sew) and then sewed them together. This time I think I achieved something at the level of 10 year old. So definitely an improvement. My biggest mistake was using contrasting thread. I thought it would look cute. My book said it would look cute. But in reality it just worked to highlight my sometimes sloppy sewing in high contrast detail. I also didn't realize that a 1/4 inch seam allowance around the edge of my project is not very much, and this created challenges.

HOWEVER, in the end I was happy with my newby results. I'm particularly fond of the apple applique that I designed myself. I'm encouraged to keep trying on the sewing front. A few lessons have been learned and I'm sure things will be smoother next time.